I had a few issues getting my videos up over the weekend, but this post-dated entry follows up on my battery life issues (and how I think I’ve solved them), discusses the camera, and includes discussion of my first weekend with the Lumia 920.

Day 4, 5, 6: Weekend Bonanza

The good news is my battery life is significantly better than it was at the end of the week. After speaking with Microsoft, I followed their advice and uninstalled and reinstalled Skype and Facebook.

Apparently, there are issues with some apps and the way Windows Phone’s servers are syncing data that has caused some phones to enter some kind of infinite loop, which stresses out the battery.

I don’t know if those steps totally fixed the problem, but I did notice battery life was significantly improved — especially while idle.

I also followed some advice from other Windows Phone users on Twitter and installed the WPBench app and ran its battery tester. This ran down my battery (essentially giving it a full recharge cycle) and upon restart, I did notice the phone seemed a bit faster to charge.

While I still notice the phone gets hot — and it certainly drains battery more when in use than I might expect — the biggest battery problems appear to be behind me.

In my tests and my usage, I wouldn’t call the Lumia 920’s battery demonstrably better or worse than the iPhone 5’s. Having said that, I don’t see an issue going 6-8 hours of moderate-to-heavy use without requiring a charge. In a perfect world, the battery life would be better, but for now only Google’s Nexus 4 has consistently better battery life.

Other Weekend Thoughts

Using the phone over the weekend, I really enjoyed the camera — especially while at Bryant Park on Sunday night. As other reviewers have noted, where the camera really shines is in low-light situations.

The only issues I’ve had with the camera are more on my end than the camera itself. On iOS, tapping the subject on the camera will focus the image and tapping again (or pressing a volume key) snaps the image.

On the Lumia 920, tapping on the image focuses AND takes the shot. You can also focus and snap by half-pressing the camera button on the side of the device, just as you would with a traditional point and shoot.

I’m not opposed to the tap focus/snap method of operation, but if you’re used to one behavior, be prepared that it doesn’t work as expected. It’s also important to turn off the flash-assisted focus if in a dimly lit room and taking photos of individuals, as the LED from the camera can be blinding.

Speaking of photos — we’ll have a more robust photo test up tomorrow, but check out this awesome shot of Mashable‘s Stacy Martinet and her husband Drake. Even given the lighting of the situation (which wasn’t ideal), this was a great shot.

Stay tuned for a follow-up post on my seventh day of Living With Lumia. You can follow me @film_girl on Twitter to catch up in real time. If you have any questions about the Lumia 920 or life with Windows Phone 8, let loose in the comments.

BONUS: A Tour of the Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 920

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the flagship smartphone on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 platform. It’s a bit on the bulky side, but it runs like a dream and has one of the best cameras ever built into a smartphone.

Headphone Jack

The headphone jack for the 920 is on the top of the device.

Power Port

Speakers and a USB port are located on the bottom of the Lumia 920.

Buttons

The volume, camera shutter and power buttons are all on the right side of he handset and appear to blend into the black finish of the phone’s exterior.

Bulky Design

The Lumia 920 is an exceptionally large and heavy phone, especially in contrast to some other phones on the market, such as the iPhone 4S (shown here).